fun. - Some Nights

NYC's newest indie rock superstars fun. have released their much anticipated sophomore album, Some Nights. The follow up to 2009's Aim and Ignite finds the indie rockers amping up their musical velocity substantially and reaching a new level of stardom thanks to the infectious first single "We Are Young", which has become a massive hit both here in the U.S. and abroad.

The album opens up with my favorite track off the album, the disc's title track which is an infectious, bombastic non-stop thrill ride with the amazing lead vocals of Nate Ruess (who was formerly the lead singer of the band The Format) and adds a certain and distinct element that can be heard on all of fun.'s compositions. We continue on with a song that I'm sure that will end up on alot of "Best Of" lists at the end of the year, "We Are Young". The song features guest vocals from Janelle Monae and features an anthemic chorus that everyone knows the words to and one that is a definitive song from the group's short catalog so far that defines their musical style and the emotions that they evoke in each and every song they make. "It Gets Better" is a electronic filled, rock heavy tune that detours off course momentarily, venturing to a new dimension where there is a balance between all the different genres that make up this song and offer up the listener a different aspect of the band that we saw glimpses of earlier on in the record, but are beginning to see in full force and on display right here before your ears.

The second half of the album kicks off with "Why Am I The One", a downtempo, somewhat melancholy tune that continues to unwrap different facets of the band that we didn't know existed, and all of their musicianship pays off on this exquisite track. "All Alright" starts off with an intricate piano composition that mixes in quite well with Nate's dynamic vocal presence that immediately makes you take notice the moment he starts singing, drawing your undivided attention in the process. We start to usher in the album's end with "One Foot", an upbeat, cheery number that sounds like something you would hear in a parade marching on down the street, but works quite well to a certain extent and encapsulates the band's musical style that they have formulated for all the years they have been in existence. The disc ultimately concludes on "Stars" a rapturing, thunderous tune that slowly picks up momentum once it commences, and builds up exponentially until the end with upbeat melodies and Nate's authentic vocal style making you focus immediately and never turning away until it ends, a great way to wrap up an extremely diverse and entertaining listening experience all the way throughout. fun. have enjoyed a slow and steady rise to stardom that began in 2008 when Nate joined forces with Andrew Dost of the band Anathallo and Jack Antonoff from Steel Train to form a quasi-supergroup of sorts that is a little bit of a wacky combination, but works very well right here and is one of the best albums of 2012 that is both a refreshing change of course from all the other music out there and gives us a glimpse of all that is possible when you put all these musical minds together and see what comes to fruition because of it.

In a nutshell, a highly ambitious and creative effort from fun., who have clearly demonstrated their musical mission that is a highly focused and dynamic effort that is a prime example of what happens when 3 great musical minds come together to form a project that is the result of the members individual experiences making music and what they bring to the table.

                                                                                                                                Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:

1. Some Nights (intro)
2. Some Nights
3. We Are Young (f/Janelle Monae)
4. Carry On
5. It Gets Better
6. Why Am I the One
7. All Alone
8. All Alright
9. One Foot
10. Stars